Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Guardian UK:
Daniel Ellsberg:
Leak against this war
US and British officials must expose their leaders' lies about Iraq - as I did over Vietnam


"Exposing governmental lies carries a heavy personal risk, even in our democracies. But that risk can be worthwhile when a war's-worth of lives is at stake.-Danial Ellsberg


Hutton Report:
Rumor has it that Tony Blair to be cleared of "dishonourable conduct"


There was 'no dishonourable or underhanded or duplicitous strategy' by the British government covertly to leak Dr Kelly's name to the media," The Sun has quoted Hutton as saying in the report.
'Informed Comment' Updates on Iraq Elections

The Informed Comment blog updates us on the situation in Iraq. Kofi Annan has agreed to send a UN election team into the country. Juan Cole says:
"Sistani's success in involving the UN has guaranteed that, whatever the outcome, Iraqi elections will not be merely a US project, but will have substantial input from the world body. Since this input will help bolster their legitimacy in Iraq and the Arab world, I think it can only be a good thing."
(Washington Post article here).

Professor Cole comments that, if the U.S. was to really insist on sticking to its guns, "the Bush administration might well face the prospect of hundreds of thousands of angry Iraqis demonstrating all this summer and into the fall, with the attendant danger of violence breaking out between them and US troops. The US public may not care very much about Iraq, but they certainly won't want to see US troops shoot down innocent civilian protesters because the Bush administration would not allow free and fair elections."
Michael Moore comments on the Peter Jennings/"deserter-Bush" Clark-attack
When the press heard me use that word "deserter," though, the bells and whistles went off, for this was one of those stories they knew they had ignored -- and now it was rearing its ugly, truthful head on a very public stage. Without a single other word from me other than the d-word, they immediately got so defensive that it looked to many viewers like they—the press—maybe had something to hide
-..they have created the brouhaha over Bush's military record, often without telling their audience what the exact charges are. It seems all they want to do is to get Clark or me -- or you -- to shut up. "We have never investigated this and so we want you to apologize for bringing it up!" Ha ha ha.
Well, I'm glad they have gone nuts over it.
-Today, MoveOn.org has put together it's response to this issue, and I would love to reprint it here. It lays out all the facts about Bush and the remaining unanswered questions about where he went for many, many months.... (see link)
MoveOn.org: U.S. Newspapers Silent on Cheney Investigation
Please go to this link to obtain the e-mail addresses you'll need. You can write a brief letter to the editor of one (or more) of these newspapers, and let them know that they're failing the American public by ignoring this news.

"What is important today is that the international community help the Iraqis."
-Pope John Paul

"I encourage you and your fellow citizens to work at home and abroad for the growth of international cooperation. ... The American people have always cherished the fundamentals values of freedom, justice and equity," (*until you and Bush came along, that is*) the pope told Dick Cheney today. Cheney presented the pope with a dove made of glass. The hypocrisy of that vision..Cheney handing a peace symbol to the Pope.. is nothing less than nauseating. I wonder if the Pope's hand began to disintegrate when Cheney shook it?